Zhang Mingwei believes that facts speak louder than words.
Previously, there were obstructions from chieftains, which made the people here think that the imperial officers and soldiers were here to harm them.
However, after this earthquake, the two sides already have a basis for communication. In this way, let them go to other chieftain territories to see the situation. Seeing is believing, and they will naturally know that they are under the rule of the chieftain. Which is better, or living under the jurisdiction of the imperial court?
The so-called moles in front of them are not the core of the extermination this time. They have also been severely affected. They have their own wives and children, and have been favored by the court. It is obvious that their hearts are shaken.
If they can all change their minds and actively help the court instead. In this way, the impact on ordinary people will be very large.
Rather than killing dozens of them, the effect would be better if they were not released.
After handling this matter, Zhang Mingwei was more concerned about the reconstruction of Jianchang City.
The army is the most efficient organization with the help of the army, and houses in this era are not made of reinforced concrete. It's just a mud wall that's dug out of yellow mud and stretched out solidly. Therefore, it shouldn't take too long for Jianchang City to be rebuilt.
Of course, in the process of organizing post-disaster reconstruction, Zhang Mingwei did not forget that there were rebels nearby. Of the nearly 30,000-strong army, 20,000 cannot be moved.
Afterwards, news came from various places one after another.
This earthquake was relatively small in scope. The earthquake was felt in Chengdu, but it was okay. The main earthquake areas are in Xingdusi, Sichuan, and the neighboring Mahu Prefecture, Wumeng Prefecture and Dongchuan Prefecture.
After Zhang Mingwei's military order was passed down, troops from various places also participated in the rescue.
As for the chieftain territories that have not yet been wiped out, there are also people who have been checking the news all night. Those affected by the earthquake are all the same as before. What was like during the earthquake before is still the same now, or even worse.
Because the chieftains mobilized for war, the supplies of the serfs themselves were plundered and manpower was diverted. Therefore, the harm of earthquakes was greater than before.
Zhang Mingwei knew this well, and it seemed that there would be a turn for the better in suppressing thieves here.
………………
He thinks so, and the rebels actually think so too.
However, what is a little different from what Zhang Mingwei thinks is that Zuo Liangyu and others think that the turning point is beneficial to them, not to the imperial officers and soldiers.
At the meeting of chieftains who gathered again to discuss matters after the earthquake, Hou Xun, the big liar, talked eloquently again: "This time the earth dragon turns over, God is really going to destroy the Duke of Xingguo!"
Every time I listen to the military advisor's speech, it always boosts morale.
Zuo Liangyu and these chieftains loved hearing Hou Xun analyze the situation.
At this time, I heard a chieftain ask quickly: "Sir, how do you say this?"
Because of Hou Xun's previous status, these chieftains still maintained their previous calling habits.
To be honest, Hou Xun really liked this title more than the title of Military Advisor, so he replied with a smile: "I sent people to investigate. This time the earth dragon turned over, not only was there a landslide on the road from Chengdu, but it was even more difficult. Let’s go, reinforcements from the imperial court are likely to arrive in the near future. In addition, there are even greater benefits!”
As soon as they heard this, these chieftains' eyes opened wider, their ears pricked up, and they wanted to know, what is the greater benefit?
Just listen to Hou Xun continue to say: "I believe you must have heard something. There is something wrong with Duke Xingguo's brain. He actually sent the army to rescue the disaster. Not only the loss of military strength, but also the huge consumption of money and food in the army. Think about it, the army has no War spirit, a lot of money and food are consumed, and there is no timely reinforcement from the outside. So if Duke Xingguo does this, isn't he asking for his own death?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the lobby immediately became lively.
"Your Excellency is right, Duke Xingguo is seeking his own death!"
"I really don't know what he thinks. Does he think he's sure to win over us?"
"Even so, I actually can't figure out what's worth saving about those people? You have to be grateful to give them food to keep them alive. Duke Xingguo actually vacated the military camp and helped them build houses. It's really Enough support!"
"..."
Zuo Liangyu was also happy to hear this, because like everyone else, he had never paid much attention to the people's hearts. Otherwise, the army would not be allowed to rob the people.
After Zuo Liangyu listened for a while, he suddenly said loudly: "Everyone, without further ado, we must eat Duke Xingguo before reinforcements from the outside arrive!"
"Yes, we can't wait until the imperial army in Jianchang runs out of money and food!" After hearing this, Hou Xun nodded and agreed, "Chengdu will definitely be in a hurry. If something happens to Duke Xingguo, they will all be killed. Therefore, it is estimated that It won’t be long before they open the passage and bring in reinforcements. We must launch an attack on Jianchang before then!"
This analysis of pros and cons was indeed reasonable, so after the meeting, the chieftains rushed back to their territories, preparing to lead the army to encircle the imperial army in Jianchang.
Of course, this side of Jianchang City is a plain, which is where the imperial army can best exert its advantages. Zuo Liangyu was not stupid enough to attack Jianchang City directly. After all, he had been fighting for so many years.
Therefore, after the chieftain leader came to assemble his troops, Zuo Liangyu said to them: "This battle is not suitable for a head-on fight, it can only be fought wisely! As long as you follow the plan, great things can be expected!"
"How do you say that?" Chief Weilong asked after hearing this.
After Zuo Liangyu heard this, he immediately looked at them and said: "Every family will send people to contact the people in Jianchang City and ask them to cause chaos. It is best to set fire to the military camps of the imperial officers and soldiers, and if not, burn down the buildings." Changcheng is also fine, but it is best to burn both. If this happens, the imperial army will be in chaos. At that time, if we kill again, the imperial army will be defeated!"
Hou Xun heard from the side and added: "It would be best to burn down the supply camp of the imperial army and ignite all the gunpowder. The imperial army's firearms are the most powerful. Once there is no gunpowder, the battle will be difficult." Your strength will definitely be greatly reduced!"
After hearing this, the chieftain of Changzhou said a little worriedly: "To create such a big chaos, I'm afraid there are not enough manpower, right?"
When Zuo Liangyu heard this, he immediately looked at him and said, "If you don't have enough manpower, you should send reliable men there! Anyway, Duke Xingguo wants to invite people, and he can't tell the difference even if he doesn't understand the language!"
"Yes, that's okay!" Upon hearing this, the chieftain of Changzhou said excitedly, "Isn't it because the earth dragon has turned around? It's normal for the countryside to be hit by a disaster and to go to the city to see relatives and friends!"
Chief Weilong also laughed loudly when he heard this: "Asking him to invite names is called cocooning oneself. Not only will it consume the money and food of the imperial officers and soldiers, but it will also provide more manpower when there is an uprising!"
"Yes, let's do it!" Chief Puji immediately clapped his hands and applauded.
Zuo Liangyu was also happy when he saw it.
He originally discussed with Hou Xun and had another plan. That is, various chieftains lurked in the mountains, and then Zuo Liangyu went to pretend to attack Jianchang, attracting the imperial army to pursue him, the leader of the rebels, to achieve the purpose of ambushing and annihilating the imperial army.
However, Zuo Liangyu was a little worried about the cavalry under Duke Xingguo. He was afraid that if the feigned attack failed and he would not be able to escape back to the mountains in time, he would be in misery.
Even if he could escape, he would still have to lose some of his troops if he wanted to be defeated decently. This was also painful for Zuo Liangyu, who originally had only a small number of troops.
Therefore, this strategy was not even mentioned at the military meeting.
………………
During natural disasters, in order to survive, there is indeed some movement of population.
The difference between Jianchang City and the past is that this time, most of the victims who lost their homes did not go to relatives and friends because the imperial army rebuilt their homes for them.
In other places where the imperial court has changed its status and returned to its homeland, the situation is basically similar. Therefore, there are very few cases of going out to seek refuge with relatives and friends.
The only thing that is more common is that in the territory controlled by the remaining rebel chieftains, there are more disaster victims who come to Jianchang City to seek refuge with relatives and friends.
One of the duties of the Jinyiwei is to monitor the local area, and of course they will also ask questions about those who come to Jianchang to visit relatives and friends one after another.
However, after they knew the situation in the chieftain's territory, they could understand this move of seeking refuge with relatives and friends. They could even predict that as the news here spreads, more victims in the chieftain's territory would probably flee here.
As time passed, their guess was indeed correct. There are indeed more and more victims coming to Jianchang to seek refuge. Later, there were even some people who had no relatives or friends, but they came here just because they heard that there was something to eat here.
The rebels who had been observing the movements in Jianchang were happy after seeing this situation.
As the scheduled start time got closer, Zuo Liangyu and others began to mobilize. There was even a reward order. If you capture Duke Xingguo alive, you will be rewarded with 100,000 taels of silver. If you capture Princess Kunxing alive, you will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver. If you capture the head of Duke Xingguo, you will be rewarded with 50,000 taels of silver. If you capture the head of Princess Kunxing, you will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver. two.
The reason for this is that they want a living Princess Kunxing.
On this day, Zuo Liangyu and others led the army to lurk at the edge of the mountain, waiting for the night signal to take action.
Everything went smoothly. By midnight, Zuo Liangyu and the others could see the fire over there, even though they were seven or eight miles away from Jianchang City.
The light of the fire was a signal. Without saying anything, Zuo Liangyu and the other chieftains led their men and rushed up the plain from various mountain passes to Jianchang City in the dark.
Fortunately, it is a plain and there are no obstacles. This is their original territory again, and it feels very familiar. Under the cover of night, as long as you rush towards the raging fire, you are sure to be right.
Zuo Liangyu and others had calculated that when they led the army to Jianchang City, it was almost dawn, just right for fighting.
Their calculations were indeed correct. Just when the white fish belly appeared in the east and the dawn shone on the ground, they reached Jianchang City.
